To Understand The World Outside
by Sorrowfully Skilled
Summary: When the Man in the Moon selects a new guardian, none of them could have prepared themselves for the new member. But a bull-headed teen is the least of the team's worries.


There was pain.

That was the first thing the boy registered.

Not a dull throb or the shattering of a bone, no this was much more intense. This was fiery and hot as it seemed to burn away any coherent thought. His name, his _identity._

Gone.

It felt as if he was being ripped apart bit by bit, bone by bone and being put crudely back together.

As the fire worked through his body it seeped into his mind as well, he saw flashes. Memories, one must assume. They were fast and seemingly meaningless as he grasped for something, anything to relieve him.

There was a scarf, red as blood, but the wearer was nowhere to be found.

A smile, filled with such love and tenderness, that it hurt to look at and he couldn't quite grasp why.

A book, scandalous to hold.

Another smile, this one with no real emotion behind it. It was leering, condescending as if the owner was staring at a tasty meal.

Each memory brought a new feeling, but as soon as it was gone he just felt numb. It was cruel, giving him glimpses before snatching them away. Soon even these fleeting memories were evaporated, and the boy was left with nothing. He felt empty, hollow. The fire within him seemed to burn itself out after what he could only assume was seconds, though it felt like hours. He felt a strange sort of sadness as the burning subsided. Surely, he should be grateful that the horrid sensation had ended, but that sensation felt like it was keeping him tethered. Connecting body with soul in a bond that could be described as none other than human.

He was left drifting in a void, unable to form any real thoughts for he felt too empty to ponder anything that was going on. What he was feeling could only be called _dark_.

So, obviously, what happened next had to be called _light_.

A brilliant white hot gleam surrounded him, engulfing him with a sense of security. It over took all his senses, drowning out the cowardice and gloom. Whispers carried through it, millions of different voices speaking softly in his ear, too fleeting to really know what wisdom they spoke but comforting none the less. He was no longer just drifting, it felt as if the air around him was caressing him, steering him in the direction he was sure he had to go. Among the whispers, laughter broke out, or more specifically the laughter of children. It filled the boy with pure joy and he found himself wanting to burst out laughing as well, but the best he could manage at this point was a smile.

The light carried him on it's back for hours before it seemed content where it had lead him and he felt the moving sensation cease. There was something underneath him, something much more physical, more real. The voices breathed words of encouragement, and he found the strength to move one finger, then a whole hand, to feel what lay beneath him. It was shockingly cold although he couldn't take his hand away. It seemed to disperse a bit at his touch, as if it was melting.

Snow, his mind made the connection for him.

His eyes began to move under his eyelids as he focused on being able to see what was around him. The voices grew louder, unintentionally cheering him on. He felt his face contort as he struggled, though he refused to give up. The light was fading by this point, satisfied that it had done it's job, and he rejected the idea of being left in the dark once more. Certainly, there was some word laying all around him, he just needed to see it.

The voices were nearly shouting at this point, their voices intermingling as millions of different languages and accents danced around each other in an attempt to be heard. The laughter still rang out, but it was quickly growing irritating. He felt himself draw in a deep breath, and poured all his energy into this one little muscle movement. His eyes flew open, and the voices went silent.

Brilliant turquoise was met with a grey sky and thin specks of white softly falling around him. He blinked a few times as snow landed gently on his eyelashes before quickly melting away. The boy's eyes tried to take it all in, this new environment, this new sensation. Then he broke into a grin. He lifted up his head followed by his entire upper body as he sat up to get a better view. All around him was a forest coated generously in a blanket of snow. The entire scene was surrounded by grey as the color overtook the sky. The clouds allowed little to no light through, but the boy couldn't have cared less. His smile faltered despite the serenity of the scene as one single voice replaced the millions of others he had heard just moments before. This one was more prominent, more powerful than any of the others had been.

" _Your name,_ " the voice was nearly deafening, " _is Eren Jaeger._ "

It was at that moment the moon seemed to break through the clouds, filling the forest with a new luminescence, and the boy- Eren felt his smile return full force.

* * *

 **So, this was my first story and I'm curious what you guys think. Hopefully you deemed it worth reading the rest of? Obviously it's not the best, but I'm pretty proud of it. If you see any mistakes feel free to point them out to me.**

 **This was an idea I came up with a while ago. If you guys enjoy it I may commit to this. I'm not entirely confident with it right now but with some constructive** **criticism it could turn out alright. If this story catches any interest I may consider getting a beta but for now there will probably be little mistakes here and there.**

 **So, yeah tell me what you think! Did you hate it, love it, think it was eh?**


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